Allan Lamb- the bonzer English cricketer turns 61

Allan Lamb- the bonzer English cricketer turns 61: Most batsman shudder at the prospect of facing the legend Wasim Akram in any form of the game. But Allan Lamb was one among the very few who took Wasim head on and tackled him quite successfully. Lamb had an appetite for scoring runs and was a prolific run scorer for England in his time. With 14 test centuries and average close to 40 in ODI’s Lamb was a paramount part of the England side for nearly a decade. The South African born English cricketer became an English citizen to live his dream of playing cricket as his South Africa dream was shattered as South Africa were to be banned from playing cricket due to the Apartheid regime. Short, stocky and aggressive Lamb was a dexterous player of fast bowling but like many other English batsmen had a fallibility against spin bowling. His most famous innings came in the 4th match of the 1987 Benson & Hedges World Series Cup against Australia, where England needed 17 runs to win off the final over to be bowled by Bruce Reid, who was a foot taller than him. But Lamb was not intimidated. As is his preposterous skill against fast bowlers, he justified his notoriety and cudgeled 18 runs off 5 balls to earn a famous and a near impossible win for his side. What is more tantalizing about Lamb’s performances was most of his centuries came against West Indies and he played at the time when West Indies had some of the finest fast bowlers that the game has ever seen from Joel Garner and Malcolm Marshall to Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose and Ian Bishop. But notwithstanding that 6 of his fourteen centuries came against them, but regrettably only one of those 6 centuries were on a winning cause. But out of his remaining 8 test centuries only one came in a losing cause. That reflects the fact how his numbers have been jeopardized a little due to playing in a tough West Indian era of bowling. He was never the most supremely talented player but always had the steely resolve and the temperament to take on any fast bowler with enough confidence to edge ahead of him under the most testing of conditions. He was one of the most prolific run scorers for England of his time. CricTracker wishes Allan Lamb a very happy 61st birthday.